MPs slam Hague for Syria supply

Foreign Secretary William Hague said that the government will provide armoured 4x4 vehicles and body armour to Syrian rebels trying to overthrow President Bashar Assad's regime.

But Leyton and Wanstead MP John Cryer warned that Britain could be drawn into a "quagmire" as the conflict in the country deepened.

"I have heard many statements like this in years gone by and inevitably most of the time we end up being involved in a quagmire from which we cannot extricate ourselves," Mr Cryer said.

Labour Bolsover MP Dennis Skinner exclaimed: "You sound like Blair" to Mr Hague - a reference to former prime minister Tony Blair's decision to send British troops to Iraq.

Newport West MP Paul Flynn accused the Foreign Secretary of having an "oversimplified view," claiming a "blood-thirsty" group of terrorists called the al-Nusra Front were now involved with the rebel forces and had massacred civilians.

"Can you give an absolute guarantee that before we send military equipment or personnel to Syria there will be a debate and a vote in this house to avoid us repeating what we have done so often in trying to punch our weight, we die beyond our responsibilities?" he said.

Mr Hague responded: "Everybody is concerned about the humanitarian situation but I don't believe it is responsible for policy to sit still in the face of a rapidly worsening situation."